Method for treating surfaces



METHOD FOR TREATING SURFACES Filed DeC. 18, 1939 INVENTOR Louis S. Wertz ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 9, 1.943

UNITED sTAr-EswPATENT oFFica 2,313,108 ME'rnon Foa 'rar-:Arma sUnFAcEs Louis S. Wertz, Cleveland, Ohio Application December 18, 1939, Serial No.' 309,799 s calms. (c1. 'zz-121) This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for ltreating surfaces and pertains particularly to the treatment of porous surfaces,

,such as concrete. masonry and other similar surfaces. f

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process and apparatus for the treatment of concrete surfaces and the -like by which such surfaces are rendered weather-resistant. Ordinary methods of treating concrete and other similar surfaces usually involve coating the sur-v Aface with a water-repellent material. In my prior Patent 1,766,419, granted June 24, 1930, is disclosed a device for treating concrete and otherv similar surfaces by working a' weatherproong material into the surfaces by rotary brushesor carborundum stones. While this device operates satisfactorily in the treatment of concrete sur- 'l faces, its use is limited in practice to the` treatment of relatively fiat surfaces. It is furthermore objectionable because of the force required by the operator to maintain it in contact with f certain surfaces-due to the gyratory effect of the rotating tool.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for the treatment of concrete and other similar surfaces which does not require as great an output of force on the part of the operator to maintain it in place.

Another object is to provide an apparatus present invention illustrating how it maybe disposed with respectfto the surface duringtreatment thereof;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus in Fig. 1 showing one outline which may be given to the member in contact with the surface;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the apparatus in Fig. 1 taken substantially on` the line 3-3 of -same time al considerable part of the liquid content of the material is dissipated. The effect of the treatment is to seal the porosities of the which may be readily used in the treatment of surfaces having offset portions or other conngurations. A further object is to provide a process and apparatus for the treatment of porous `surfaces in which the treating material is caused to penetrate to an appreciable depth into the surface, even greater than the penetration obtained by the device of the above-mentioned patent.

A still further object is to provide a process and apparatusfor the treatment of surfacesln which a considerable part of the liquid content of the repair material is dissipated during treatment so that the drying time for the treating material is minimized and the voids of the surface are nlled with substantially inert or non-volatile material.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description accompanied by the drawing, in which like parts throughout the several views are indicated by the same reference numerals. i

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of apparatus which may be used to carry out the process of the surface by lling them with the-treating material and forcing treating material to penetrate into the minute crevices and interstices of the material constituting the surface, as well as covering the surface itself. In this manner the treating material is intimately bonded to the surface and may be said to become a part thereof. Since the' voids and porositles of the surface` are filled, the surface is rendered impervious and highly resistant to weathering. y Fig. 1 shows apparatus which may be used to carry out the above treatment as it would be positioned against a surface 'i whichis to be treated. The surface may be concrete as the surface of a concrete wall structure, or it may be any other surface conforming to the requisite characteristics'of having porositles or voids and having sufcient strength to withstand treatment. VIt is contemplated that the treatment described herein is especially applicable` inweatherprooilng the surface of concrete, brick, or' 'masonry structures of all-kinds. f

The apparatus comprises a member 2 having a face 3 complemental to the surface being treated, a feed line or conduit 4 to conduct treating material to the surface I, and means for impacting the material on the surface I, indicated generally by A, and shown as a conventional air hammer. In the `form of apparatus shown in Figs. 1-3, the member 2 is made circular and of a resilient material. such as rubber and may be secured in any suitable mann.r to an identical sheet 5 of a more rigid material, such as a rubber containing a large amount of carbon black or the like. The contact member may be made of a resilient material so that by holding it against the surface I a better contact and seal between the surface and the apparatus is insured.

The sheet of material 5 is secured in any suitable manner to a body 6 to which the material feed line 4 and the impacting means A may be detachably connected, Fig. 3 shows the line 4 connected to a valve I which is in turn threadedly connected to the body 6 in register with an aperture or passage 8 through the body 6 and communicating with the contact face 3 or member 2 by means Iof the central axial aperture Ill disposed concentrically of the member 2 and the such a material comprises Portland cement; a

silicious ller, which may have hydraulic properties in itself, such as the pozzolanas, blast fur- 'nace slag, ily ash, acidic colloidal silica, etc.: a

plasticizing or lubricating agent, such as oleaginousvmaterial's, including fatty acid glycerides, fatty acids, or salts and esters thereof,as Well as stabilizing agents and wetting agents, examples' i ing time ,of the material will be a minimum.

sheet 5. The passage 8 is preferably inclined at an`angle through the body 6 so that the impacting means A may be attached approximately centrally of the body 6. A boss II is disposed on the side of the body opposite from the member 2 and has provided therein a spherical socket I2 to receive a ball I3 which is attached to one end of a shank I4. The ball I8 is held in the socket I2l by an apertured'plate I5 which is disposed around the shank I4 and bolted to the boss II by suitable bolts IB. 'Ihis construction provides a universal Joint connection between the/shank I4 and the body 6, that is, the shank I4 may be disposed at varied angles to the surface I while the member 2 and body 6 remain in contact with the surface I.

To lighten the apparatus the body 6 may be formed of some light metal or alloy and reinforced by ribs I1. Then when the impacting or vibrating means A is attached to the body 6 by engagement with the shank I4, the apparatus as a whole may berkept suiliciently light that it will not b e objectionably heavy to operate.

In operation the apparatus is held against the surface to be treated and the treating material fed from any suitable source (not shown) through the line 4. the passage 8, and the aperture Ill to the surface I,the amount of material fed to the surface being readily controlled by the valve 1. It is preferable that the treating material be fed under pressure, which need not be great, to insure that an adequate supply is available for the treatment: 'Ihe impacting or Y vibrating means A is started into operation andl as the treating material flows from the aperture I0 onto the surface I it is impacted into the surface by the member 2 and caused to penetrate into the porosities, voids, and interstices of the surface to fill the same and seal the surface. The multiplicity of impacts on the nlm of treating material subjects the nlm to momentary high pressures which force the treating material into the voids orpores. Continuation of the impacting forces liquid of the treating material further into the material adjacent the surface, leaving the. voids nearer the surface filled with solids and substantially inert or non-volatile ma- Such a material as described above is very advantageous because the particles of the dry ingredients are held in a stable suspension so that they may be forced through hose lines without separation and high frictional losses and will penetrate into small voids and interstices. Further, the hydration of the cement is delayed until the material has been impacted into vthe surface and a considerable amount of the water has been forced out. Thus the water-to-cement ratio is low and the strength of the Vtreating material when set is relatively great. l

Where strength of the treating material is not to water and thus is very advantageous in treating surfaces to preventwater gaining 'access to the interior of a structure where it may cause disintegration.

Figs. 4 and 5.of the drawing disclose a modification of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3', which modification is very/advantageous for use in the treatment of structures in which the surterials. By ymoving the apparatus over the entire surface while maintaining the feed of treating material and` the impacting, the voids and porosities of the surface may be filled and the surface rendered impervious andweather resistant to a high degree.

The treating material used may be varied -de pending onthe nature of vthe surface and the conditions-,to which it 1s to be exposed. For

example, in the treatment of`concrete surfaces on concrete structures such' as walls, bridges, dams, etc., it is oftendesirable to use a mate a1 having seine strength in itself. =An example ,of 7,5-,

face to be treated ,is limited in size. For example, the treatment of mortar joints or the surfaces between adjacent layers of brick or stone is greatly facilitated by such an apparatus. The contact member 2 presents a face 3 which is rectilinear and of a width suitable for reaching a mortar Joint disposed between adjacent layers ofbrick or other masonry. As in the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the contact member 2 is preferably resilient and is secured to the sheet 5, which in turn is secured to a similar sheet I8. The sheet I8 is preferably rigid and may be fastened to the body 6 by means of screws I8, as shown in Fig. 5. By this construction the contact member 2 and the sheet 5 secured to the sheet I8 may be readily replaced should they become worn.I Also, various sizes and shapes of units which include a contact member may be secured vto the sheet I8 and fastened to the face 8 of the contact member 2 by a passage 2| through the slieets I8 and 6 and through the contact member'z. fIo facilitate the flow of treating material throughout the face 3 of the member 2, a groove 20 may be disposed in the face 3 leading from the opening of the passage 2I.

The connection between shank I4, to which the impacting means is attached, and the body 6 is also varied in the modiflcationshown in Figs. 4 and 5. In the modification, the shank I4 terminates in a pair of bifurcated ends 22 which are disposed at each side of and pivotally connected' to a lug 23 projecting from the body 6. The pivotal connection is obtained by a pin 24. which is journaled in both the lug 23 and the bifurcated ends 22 of the shank I4. The operation of the modified form of apparatus is. substantially the same as that of the apparatus shown in that of Figs. 1 to 3.

By having a considerable distance' between the passage 2| and between the passage I0 or 2i and the cuter extremities of the contact member, advantage is taken of frictional resistance' of the film on the surfaces I and 3 to obtain an increased maximum pressure for forcing the mafilled with substantially inert and non-volatilel other irregular changes in contour and it is contemplated that such a surface be treated with an apparatus having a contact member whose contact face is complemental with the surface to be treated. Furthermore, the feed of the treating material to the surfaceundergoing treatment may be accomplished in many other ways than those shown, it merely being necessary that there is suilicient treating material available at terial into the porous surface.' Thus in the operation of the device, the pressure on theA film of treating material which is normally maintained over the contact surface is, by the impressed vibration, periodically raised substantially above the pressure of the material in the aperture I0 or 2I. The pressure ofthe contact face 3 against. the surface I over a considerable area spaced from' the material feed passages aids in preventing a flow of -material back into member or form may be disposed adjacent the structure with its contact face complemental to the surface to be formed. Suitable surfacing ma# terial, which will usually be a cement slurry, may

, coating, various colored'fllling materials may be area of the structure to be surfaced. Then a be applied tothe area of the structure in any suitable manner. For example, the material maybe forced through the member or form into the shallow cavity between the irregular sur-- face of the structure and the form. To securely bond the surfacing material to the existing structure the surfacing material may be im- `pacted by a suitable impacting or vibrating means, which may be disposed against the form to transmit the impacts to the material. When the surface cavities o f the structure have been sufficiently filled with surfacing 'material so that such surface is substantially plane. the member or form may be removed and the surfacing material when dried will be securely bonded'tothe existing structure. i

To render the surface of the structure being repaired weatherproof and impervious, the previqusly described'process of applying weatherthe surface to be impacted into such surface.

Also it is contemplated that the impacting i means may be one of several well known types. It is believed that it` may be advantageous from the standpoint of the operator to use an impa'cting means which will deliver impacts of relatively high frequency so that intensity of an in dividual impact may be -reduced without decreasing the necessary amount of impacting.

The above described process isv very desirable for weatherprooilng porous surfaces such as the surface of concrete and other similar structures, because the pores of the surface are filled by a material which is firmly bonded to the surface and is impervious to moisture, fumes, or other deleterious substances. An enduring decorative surface may be obtained which will protect and increase the useful life of the treated surface. To enhance the decorative character of the incorporatedinto the treating material to give it a pleasing color. E, i

It is to be understood that variations and modiiications of the steps of the process and the specific device herein shown and described for pur-r poses of -illustration may be made .without de.

parting from the spirit of the invention;

What I claim is:

1. The method of weatherprooflng concrete and other structures. which comprises presenting a member having a depressible contact face to a surface of such structure, feeding a highly flowable and pumpable weatherprooiing material through a central portion of said face tothe surface of the structure, imparting a multiplicity of forcible impacts to the member substantially normal to said surface to cause penetration of the material into the pores of the structure, and continuing said impacting and feeding until the surface 'and adjacent regions are rendered substantially impervious, said material' having solid particles in suspension and being pumpable .having particles in sufficiently stable suspension to be pumpable through hose lines and fine passageways Without 'separation and' high fricvoids adjacent'the surface are more thoroughly 75 tional losses, and repeatedly and forcefully impacting said material on said/surface prior to gelation of the cement in a direction substantial--4 ly normal to said surface to. cause penetration of the material into the structure.

3. The method of treating concrete and masonry structures and the like to densify them in the region of their surface, which comprises presenting a member having a resilient depressible face against a surface of such structure, feeding a highly ilowable material containing an hydraulic cement, a finely divided filler containing a the pores and fine voids of substantial amount of acidic colloidal silica to face to cause penetration of the material into the pores and tine voids of the structure.

4'. The method of weatherprooiing concrete land other structures, which comprises presenting amember having a depressible contact face to a surface of such structure, feeding a hardenable flowable pumpable material containing a hydraulic cement, a finely divided filling material having a substantial proportion of acidic' colloidal silica. water, and an oleaginous material through said face to the surface of said structures, and imparting a multiplicity of impacts of momentary high pressures to said member and substantially normal to said face to cause surface and into' the region inwardly of said surface of the structures.

' draulic cement, a finely' divided lling material v5. The method of weatherprooflng concrete an'd other structures, whichcomprises presenting a member having a depressible contact face to a surface of such structure, feeding a hardenable owable pumpable material containing a hyhaving a substantial proportion of acidic coiloidal silica, water, and a small amount of a fatty acid derivative through said face to the surface of said structures, imparting a multiplicity of impacts of momentary highv pressure to said member and substantially normal -to said face to cause penetration of the material into the pores of the surface and into the region inwardly of said surface of the structures, and continuing said impacting and said feeding until the surface and the region for a substantial distance inwardly are rendered substantially impervious.

The method` of weatherprooflng concrete and other structures, which comprises presenting and pumpable material containing a bitumen, an inert finely divided filling material and a compatible thinner through said face to the surface of said structure, and imparting a multiplicity of impactsv of momentary high pressure' to said member and substantially normal -to said face to cause penetration of the material into the pores of the surface and into the region inward= ly of said surface of the structures.

ALoma s. wER'rz penetration lof the material into the pores of the 

